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Burns night customs

Burns night is celebrated on the 25th of January, around the world, to celebrate the memory of the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns.

The occasion is a chance to celebrate his works and eat and drink traditional Scottish food. The formal celebration begins with the 'Piping in the guests'. A pipe band plays as guests are seated at their tables, guests stand as top table guests are seated. The top table usually consists of speaker, chairman, local minister, members of the Burns federation, civic representative and their spouses or partners.

The evening is then opened by a welcoming speech by the speaker or chairman or in the form of toasts;

Toast to Immortal Memory

It is a great honour to be asked to propose the Immortal Memory speech and toast. There are examples of Immortal Memory toasts but generally it is a small talk about the importance of Robert Burns to Scotland and how honoured Scots are to be able to read his works. The Immortal Memory should truly inspire each guest to want to continue reading the works of Robert Burns when they get home, long after the honour to his memory has been said.
The Immortal Memory may be preceded or announced by a fiddler playing some of the works of Robert Burns. This lively music can set up the Immortal Memory speaker nicely. His speech should be about 20 - 35 minutes long. As an example of an Immortal Memory speech the speaker may start by reciting a few sentences of a Burns poem and then give a talk about what the Bard meant when he wrote those words and then give its relevance to today's society and the modern society. During this speech the speaker may talk about aspects and achievements of Burns like being a preserver of the Scot's language and bring his discussion to what Burns would have made of life today.

Later in the evening a member of the Committee or the Chairman should honour the Immortal Memory speaker with an appreciation of the speech given.

Toast To The Lassies

A toast to the ladies is made, in recognition of Burns' love for the lassies! It is called the toast to the lassies and is sometimes spelt toast to the lasses. This speech and toast should be light hearted and humorous, as an example the speaker can point out the shortcomings of women and the ways Burns pointed these out. The speaker should always make sure to end by being complimentary to the lassies though. After this the speaker raises his glass, the men in the room stand, and the speaker says "Tae The Lassies!" and another dram of whisky is drunk.

The Toast To The Laddies

The women have an opportunity to reply to the toast of the lassies which is humorously called the Toast Tae The Laddies! In this funny toast they give a funny view on men talking about their various shortcomings.

Each of these speeches should not take longer than 10 minutes.

Burns Night Menu

Most Burns Suppers will consist of a large haggis being piped into the room by a Pipe Major. The guests will usually stand during the piping of the haggis. The haggis is carried on a gleaming silver tray usually by the VIP guest or the chef. If carried by the guest then the chef will walk behind the piper. Behind the chef will follow the person reciting the address to the haggis and the whisky bearer who tops up the guests whisky glasses for the haggis toast and offers a dram to the chef and the piper.

Toast To The Haggis

The Chairman will then invite the chef, the piper or fiddler and the gathering to toast the haggis with a dram of whisky. The most popular toast to the haggis is "Slainte mhath" the Gaelic toast which is pronounced as slan je va and translates to English as Good Health.

During the procession to the top table the guests will clap in time to the bagpipe music. 'A man's a man for aw that' is the most popular bagpipe tune to pipe in the haggis. The haggis, or beastie as it is often nicknamed, is placed at the top table. The piper will then stop playing the bagpipes and the clapping stops. The haggis is then cut open by the speaker who will recite some of Robert Burns' poems, usually Address To A Haggis which extols the virtue of haggis over  other dishes. This moment of the Burns Supper is sometimes nicknamed the slaying of the haggis. There are several key words which signify when the speaker should cut into the haggis. So when he recites His knife see rustic Labour dicht the haggis cutting knife is raised. As the words An' cut you up wi' ready slicht the knife is lowered in a fast dramatic action and the haggis is cut open. Some chefs will make a small cut at the top of the haggis to expel the trapped air to make cutting the haggis safer, rather than have hot haggis splatter over the top table guests. The haggis is then toasted, a dram of whisky being the favoured tipple. Some pour a nip of whisky over the haggis. The supper is eaten after the Selkirk Grace.

Haggis Neeps and Tatties

The haggis is served with neeps and tatties (turnip or swede and potatoes known by Scottish people as chappit or champit tatties and bashit or bashed neeps) and some chefs combine the ingredients with chives to make the delicious dish of Clapshot. Vegetarian haggis is often available nowadays and larger Burns Night suppers may also serve a fish dish like salmon or steak pie made by the local butcher. Toasts are said before, during and after the meal. The accompanying drink is usually a dram (or three!) of whisky. The Burns night supper menu is traditionally called The Bill of Fare in honour of this phrase being in the poem To A Haggis.

A Scotch Broth Soup (also called Barley Broth) or cock-a-leekie soup may be served as a starter and Clootie Dumpling pudding served as a dessert. Other puddings served on a Burns Night Bill of Fare include Cranachan with Raspberries or Sherry Trifle. Other names for Sherry Trifle include Tyspy Laird and Scotch Trifle.

The more formal Burns Suppers may round off the meal with bannocks and oatcakes and a selection of cheeses which may include a Scottish cream cheese called Crowdie and the local cheese of Ayrshire that Burns would have enjoyed, the Dunlop Cheese. Coffee and tea are then served.

Entertainment At A Burns Night

  After the supper, or between courses, speakers may entertain with musings and anecdotes of Burns or more recitings of his work, songs and poems. Musicians and singers will sing and perform the songs of Robert Burns such as My Luve is Like a Red, Red Rose. Tam O'Shanter is a common poem to recite on Burns night, as are The Cotter's Saturday Night and Holy Willie's Prayer. The Immortal Memory speech pays tribute to the talent of Robert Burns.

The evening is usually rounded off with a ceilidh, the finish of this is cued with a rendition of Auld Lang Syne.

For Traditional Scottish recipes click here

For Robert Burns poems click here